Lessons at ISR Castroville

What Swim Lessons are Offered

New Student ISR Self-Rescue

The initial session for all students new to ISR. Children less than 1 year old who are not walking will learn how to rollback and float. Children older than 1 year-6 years old who are walking will learn to swim-float-swim.

Refresher lessons

Refresher lessons are for students who have completed the initial skill set of swim-float-swim after being out of lessons for an extended period of time. Refresher lessons are recommended by ISR every 6 months - 1 year to refresh and adapt skills in the child's growing body.

Maintenance Lessons

Maintenance lessons are for students who have recently completed the swim-float-swim skills session. Lessons are scheduled 1-2 lessons per week up to once per month with the goal of maintaining competence and confidence with skills recently mastered.

FAQs
Why are lessons 5 days per week and for only 10 minutes?
The reason for this is multifaceted. First, repetition and consistency are crucial elements of learning for young children. Research shows that short, more frequent lessons result in higher retention. Second, most children have fairly short attention spans and will not be able to focus on the task for longer and we want to take advantage of the best time for learning. A third reason is that, though the pool temperature is maintained at 78-88 degrees, the temperature is still lower than your child's body temperature. Lessons are work and therefore will also be losing body heat. Instructors check students regularly for temperature fatigue since this is an indicator of physical fatigue.
Why do you have the children swim in clothes?
Because 86% of children who fall in the water do so fully clothed, we want our students to have experience with such a situation. If a child has experienced the sensations of being in the water in clothing prior to an emergency situation, he/she is less likely to experience panic and be able to focus on the task at hand. If you have ever jumped in the water with clothes on, then you know that there is a significant difference in weight and feel with clothes as opposed to a bathing suit.
If more frequent but shorter lessons are better, then why don’t you teach 7 days/week?
Everyone needs a little break from learning to process the information and in this case to give muscles a chance to recover. In addition, you need to be able to spend time with your family, as does your instructor. Weekends are family time. Periodically, if weather or other issues have cause lessons to be canceled for numerous days, your instructor may choose to offer make-up lessons on a weekend. This is strictly up to the instructor and based on the availability of parents.
Are swimming lessons for infants and young children safe?
I can’t speak for all swim lessons, but I can tell you ISR is dedicated to safety and maintaining numerous safety protocols to promote safe lessons. Your child's health and well-being are our highest priority and are closely monitored on a daily basis. In addition, your child's medical and developmental history is a mandatory part of the ISR national registration process, all of which is held strictly confidential. All ISR instructors undergo intensive and rigorous training that far exceeds any other training program of this kind. Each ISR instructor is also required to recertify yearly with emphasis on quality control, safety and lesson efficiency. Your education in the area of aquatic safety for your entire family is an integral part of your child's lessons. You will receive access to the "Parent Resource Guide" to inform you about every aspect of swimming and aquatic safety for infants and children. With research, you will find that ISR is not only the safest survival swimming program but also the most effective for teaching infants and young children.

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How do ISR Lessons Work?